Stampede during Soleimani’s funeral procession kills at least 32, state TV reports

Muslims and Stampedes

At least 32 people were killed and another 190 injured in a stampede Tuesday that broke out during a funeral procession for the Iranian general killed last week in a U.S.-led airstrike, according to Iranian state media. 

The incident occurred in Gen. Qassem Soleimani's hometown of Kerman, in southeastern Iran, according to Iran's state media. Pirhossein Koulivand, the head of Iran’s emergency medical services, gave the latest casualty toll in an interview with state TV. Earlier he confirmed the stampede without providing any figures. 

The incident draws comparison to the 1989 Tehran funeral procession of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini – whose half-naked remains toppled out of an open coffin live on state television. Mourners blocked the path of a truck carrying the deceased leader of the Iranian revolution and tore at his burial shroud, knocking his body to the ground. The broadcast was cut short and his body airlifted by military helicopter away from the crowd until his remains could be rewrapped in the traditional Muslim burial attire and placed in a metal casket for burial, the Los Angeles Times reported.